"(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" became a smash with nightclub audiences and went on to be the first rock 'n' roll song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, selling more than 40 million copies worldwide.

More importantly, it propelled rock 'n' roll as we know it onto the national scene, inspiring generations of rock musicians.

Where did Haley first perform his groundbreaking hit? It wasn't Cleveland, the self-proclaimed birthplace of rock 'n' roll. It wasn't New York City or even Memphis. It was the southern New Jersey beach resort of Wildwood-by-the-Sea.

Rock and Roll in the Garden State

No New Jersey rocker is more famous than Bon Jovi, who got their start in Sayreville in 1983 and reached worldwide stardom by 1986 with their album Slippery When Wet. The band is still rocking with plans for more albums and tours.

Blues Traveler, another famous New Jersey bank, was formed as a high school garage band in 1987 in Princeton. The band hit it big in the mid-nineties with their bluesy, souther-style rock and have never stopped rocking. You can catch them on tour across the US.